Niger’s top court has outlawed ‘”Wahaya”, a unique form of slavery currently practiced in that country. It involves the sale of young girls from Tuareg communities to wealthy and prominent Hausa individuals as an unofficial “fifth wife”.
Kylie Kiunguyu
Africans rising Meet Dehlia Umunna, the first Nigerian to be appointed as a professor at Harvard Law School
Dehlia Umunna, deputy director and clinical instructor at Harvard Law School Criminal Justice Institute, is the first Nigerian to be appointed as a professor at Harvard School of Law.
Arts and Culture Nnedi and Wanuri developing Amazon series based on Octavia Butler’s “Wild Seed”
African sci-fi legend Nigerian Nnedi Okorafor and Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu are teaming up with Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis for an upcoming series adaptation of Octavia Butler’s novel “Wild Seed”. Okorafor and Kahiu will write the script together, while Kahiu will also direct the project.
Politics and Society Autonomy, predatory exposure and the age of consent
Not for the first time, Kenya is discussing the possibility of amending the Sexual Offences Act to lower the age of consent from 18 to 16 years. The discussion is highlighting the issue of predatory exposure and the responsibility of society in safeguarding the rights of children.
Politics and Society South African Professor Ncoza Dlova discovers the source of permanent hair loss
Internationally renowned dermatologist and University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Dean of Clinical Medicine, Professor Ncoza Dlova, has collaborated with US scientists to uncover the gene that is the major cause of permanent hair loss among women of African descent.
Africans rising The world’s best teacher is Kenyan science instructor Peter Tabichi
Kenyan science teacher Peter Tabichi has won the 2019 Global Teacher Prize for his “exceptional” commitment to the pupils of a school in Kenya’s remote Rift Valley region. “If you don’t fail, you don’t learn, and if you don’t learn, you can’t change,” says Tabichi.
Africans rising “Hawi”: Ethiopia’s first female superhero comic
Beserat Debebe, the creator of Ethiopia’s superhero comic “Jember” and the founder of Etan Comics, brings to life the country’s first female superhero comic, “Hawi”. The comic tells the tale of a young Ethiopian woman, named Ement Legesse, who has to rescue her mother after she is abducted.
Politics and Society United Nations Human Rights Council stands with elite athlete Caster Semenya
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution tabled by South Africa to defend Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya’s right to participate in sports. The world champion is currently challenging proposals by the International Association of Athletics Federations to restrict natural testosterone levels in female athletes.
Politics and Society #NoWhiteSaviours: The white saviour complex
Kelsey Nielsen and Ugandan Olivia Alaso have launched the “No White Saviours” campaign to challenge the way in which development and evangelical work is being done on the African continent. They aim to highlight the underlying discrimination in development narratives and the relationship between races.